Golfsmith opens bigger store near Park Meadows

In a nod to the ever-increasing popularity of the gentleman’s game, retailer Golfsmith announces it has moved “just a chip shot” from its current location near the Park Meadows Mall to a bigger space — with enough room for testing some of the equipment.

Taking up space that once held Ultimate Electronics and with a better frontage to East County Line Road just west of Interstate 25, the new Golfsmith retail shop covers 41,250 square feet — a kick up from the 25,000 square feet it occupied for years just around the corner, now in the shadow of Ikea.

In a move that’s sure to challenge the fully outfitted PGA Superstore along Arapahoe Road next to Home Depot at I-25, the Golfsmith Xtreme shop has five indoor studios with golf simulators and five driving range bays with launch monitors. Then there’s the massive putting green.

In all, Golfsmith says the store makes it the largest pure-golf retail spot in the state. The PGA shop also caters to tennis.

“Our new Park Meadows store has a brand new look and feel and will make golfers’ jaws drop when they walk through our doors. We are not just another warehouse golf store. We are bringing the ultimate golf retail playground to Denver area golfers,” Golfsmith CEO Marty Hanaka said.

Though it’s open now, its official opening this Friday and Saturday, April 13 and April 14, will feature a variety of prizes and incentives for shoppers — including a shot at registering for a 9-hole round with Tiger Woods. It’s worth seeing the amusing video.

Getting there from I-25: Take the County Line Road exit. Go west to the first light after the highway; turn right and take the second right into the shopping center at the next light. Go to the second stop sign and turn left. The store will be to your right.

Good for Golfsmith, but I’m not sure about the “ever-increasing popularity” of golf. The past few years more golf courses have closed than have opened, and the number of golfers is pretty flat. Not a dying sport by any means, but that opening line is off by about 8-10 years.

David Migoya

PGA numbers (and those of the gate at the tour events and television viewership) actually show it’s on the rebound.

Emilie Rusch covers retail and commercial real estate for The Post. A Wisconsin native and Mizzou graduate, she moved to Colorado in 2012. Before that, she worked at a small daily newspaper in South Dakota. It's the one with Mount Rushmore.